Love, Eventually
by dickard23
Summary: Lin is lonely. She has been ever since Tenzin left her for Pema. Sokka's love child, who he never met, is also lonely. Aang, Sokka, and Suki all watch sadly from the spirit world. Then, Suki gets the idea to set them up with each other. Is this their chance to find love, or will their pasts just get in their way? M version is on Ao3. Based on a drabble in my Lin drabble collection.
1. Chapter 1

"Councilman Tenzin and Pema are expecting their first child," the newspapers all read.

"Will it be an airbender?"

Lin kept herself on office duty all day to avoid the media. She showed up to work early and left late; it was the only way of having any modicum of privacy. She thought after the wedding, the humiliation would stop, but it just kept going. Everyone wanted to know how the jilted ex felt about everything. Sometimes, she felt like she was nothing more than Tenzin's ex-lover or the girl who Pema replaced. She wished she was just Lin.

It was so unfair. How did he keep her identity yet she lost hers? She still had a photo of her and Tenzin at her desk. He hugged her when she first joined the force. Uncle Aang took the photo. Even he didn't see this coming when he died. He did tell Tenzin to start getting serious, but he didn't even realize how Tenzin would take those words.

Aang watched from above. He wanted his son to be happy, but he loved Lin too, and it was unsettling how sad she still was after all this time. He just wanted her to find someone.

Sokka was watching someone from above too. His son, a man Sokka must admit he never met, wandered around aimlessly, looking for somewhere to belong. The man deserved more than the hand he got dealt, but for reasons beyond his control, he was alone in the world, away from the women who raised him, estranged from his only sister and had never even seen his only niece except for in photographs that were published in the paper.

Suki was with her husband and her good friend Aang in the spirit world. "Maybe we should help them along?"

It was a Friday. Lin was headed home like she usually was but on the way, she saw a bar she had not seen before. She wasn't sure why, but she could hear a voice telling her to go inside, so she did. She got to the bar and there was a tall man drinking alone on the side. She was about to find the other corner to sit by herself, but he turned to her and smiled. His hair was raven black, his eyes gold, and he had nice, strong looking cheekbones. His nice jacket all but swore he was Fire Nation nobility.

"You should try the fallen lady."

"What?"

"It's a drink here. I think it's more interesting than the swill you usually find in bars."

Why not? Lin ordered one and sat down near him.

"You weren't waiting for someone, were you?"

"Oh no. Can't say I have anyone to wait for these days."

"Did you ever?" That sounded rude. She didn't know why she said that.

"Well, my mother was always late picking me up from school, so I used to wait for her everyday."

She snickered. "My mother didn't always remember at all. By the time I was eight, I could walk home by myself."

"I was far enough away that my mother drove me to school on her motorcycle."

"She didn't have a car?"

"Nah. Motorcycles are 1/3 the price and cheaper to fuel."

"You hardly look like someone who is low on money."

He shrugged. "I'm nouveau riche in a way. I had humbler beginnings."

Lin's drink arrived. "It was boozy and had dark chocolate. I think I'm in heaven."

"I thought you might like it."

"Because it's chocolate?"

"Yeah and it has whiskey. It was also a test. If whiskey and chocolate were a problem for you, I'm pretty sure that's a deal breaker."

She rolled her eyes. "It sounds like a rule my mother would have, although she might prioritize meat over chocolate. I wouldn't."

"Me neither."

A few rounds later and Lin was officially too drunk to drive home. A few rounds after that and she showed him her rarely seen goofy side.

"I never had a father to take me to work, so my "uncle Sokka" took me with him. I was all excited to see what a Councilman did all day. I swear that he had the most boring job I ever saw. I was so bored that I started practicing my metalbending and somehow I managed to destroy the entire electricity system in City Hall. They had to fly in the world's experts to get it running by the next day. My mother says she never got such a big bill in her life. She contested it of course. I was too young to be sued, but it was a story I didn't get to live down, well, she still makes fun of me for it. How did a vandal like you make Police Chief? I swear she's an old bag."

He laughed. "I never knew my father either. I was actually adopted, but I met my birth mother as she was friends with the woman who she gave me to."

"What was she like?"

"She did her best, but I quickly understood why she gave me up. She had PTSD after the war and she got psychiatric care, but it didn't work so well, and she ran away, struggling to make it on her own. When she found out she was pregnant, she knew she wanted something more stable for her child, so she gave me to her best friend."

"Did your father know about you?"

"He did, but he was married and my mother didn't want his wife to leave him, so she decided for him that I would live with her friend instead. He didn't contest it, and before I could try to meet him as an adult, he died. I have a sister, but I don't know if she knows about me. I didn't want to destroy the image she has of our father or her parents' marriage, so I never contacted her. I saw her in public once. I even saw her with our dad, but she was also with her mom, and they all looked so happy. I just turned and walked away."

Lin couldn't believe how similar this guy was to her: no father, shaky relationship with his mother who probably was never meant to raise kids and a sister who's out of his life. On the outside, he looked perfect, but somehow, he was just as broken as she. Before she knew it, she slipped her arms around him. He returned in kind. He was clearly a firebender. Only firebenders got this warm without being sick.

It felt good to be held like this, and not out of pity like she felt almost every hug she got since Tenzin left her had been. His lips brushed against hers, a kiss light enough not to be offensive if she didn't feel the same way. Lin did nothing lightly and pulled his head to hers, crashing their lips together.

Kuzon's mouth was sweet and spicy and it was so warm, almost too warm, but right now he was perfect. Her hands ran through his long locks. His hair was longer than hers and prettier too. His arms found their way around her body. They were strong. He had been a member of the United Forces before he retired out and went into business.

He offered to share a taxi ride home with her. She couldn't drive, so she accepted. Their hands touched, and they ended up making out the whole way there. He had been expecting to go to his home after she got dropped off, but then they stumbled out of the cab together, fumbling as they got to her door. He picked her up, unsure of where her bedroom actually was and she had to direct him.

Her home was gorgeous, courtesy of being a Bei Fong, but he could admire the architecture later. Right now, he had a more pressing matter, and it was pressing into her stomach.

He was the first man in her bed since Tenzin and the two were nothing alike. Lin always had taken charge with the airhead, but Kuzon was different. He moved quickly and confidently, lips searing into her neck and poker like fingertips exploring her body intently. She would keep fighting him for control, but she would only let him win in the end. She wanted him on top of her, and it wasn't just because he was gorgeous. Somehow, she completely trusted him and she didn't trust anybody.

She wrapped her legs around him. He whispered something just for her in her ear before he leaned forward. This was it. There was no stopping now.


	2. Chapter 2

Tenzin always had horrible timing. Out of all of his siblings, he was the most likely to walk in on their parents making love. He walked in on Bumi and who knows what girl, Kya and some girl she had over; it was always him and it didn't have to be their bedroom. It could be by the lake near their house or in the barn in Bumi's case. If there was sex to be had and Tenzin didn't want to know about it, then he would find out about it, visually

He was worried about Pema's safety. There was another attempt to kidnap Korra and who knows what type of plot is afoot. None of the criminals would talk, no matter how hard they tried. He wanted an investigation done here to see if there was any connection to the criminals who got caught in the Southern Water Tribe and Republic City, but an investigation of this sort required the chief's go ahead. There had been no crime here, so the officers in the precinct lacked the authority to start digging around until she said for them to dig around.

"I don't know why she's not here," an officer told Tenzin. "She's kind of been working obsessively ever since (you announced your pregnancy to the media)" Oh I probably shouldn't tell him that.

"I'll try her at her home."

He called, but he received no answer.

* * *

><p>He decided to pay her a house visit, the first time he went to her home since they broke up. Her car wasn't there. He wondered if she was home at all, but he knocked anyway.<p>

Lin was in the shower. Kuzon was making her breakfast, when he heard the knock. It wasn't his door, so he didn't answer, but the knocking persisted, getting louder and louder. Finally, Kuzon flipped over the pancakes and went to go get it.

"Can I help you?"

Tenzin was not expecting to see a buff Fire Nation man who was only wearing pants. Given the bite marks on his chest and his messy hair, it was clear why he had been there this morning.

"Where's Lin?"

"In the shower. Hold on, I have to make sure breakfast doesn't burn." He went back to the kitchen and flipped over the bacon and the omelet before turning the stove to low.

The shower turned off. Kuzon knocked and told her she had a visitor.

Lin rolled her eyes. She skips work once and gets a rookie sent to check on her. What did they think she did, od last night?

She dried off and put on her bathrobe and slippers before coming outside.

"What the hell are you doing here?" It was Tenzin.

"I wanted to talk to you about a protective detail for Pema and investigating an attack that happened in the Southern Water Tribe."

She couldn't just throw him out. "Well, I'm going to put on clothes and you can tell me whatever you have to tell me over breakfast."

She went to her bedroom to get dressed. He would show up when she got a little nookie.

Tenzin glared at Kuzon.

"What are you mad at me for? It's not my fault she prefers a man with hair."

Before Tenzin could respond, Lin came back out. She dressed herself in record time, not wanting to leave the two men alone together.

"This smells awesome." Tenzin rarely ever made her breakfast and never bacon for obvious reasons.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made some of everything."

"Well, you should know a Bei Fong will pretty much eat anything that has meat or chocolate in it."

"Good to know."

She filled her plate with pancakes, mixed fruit, eggs and bacon. He even made coffee, which he had left black for her. It was how she drank it anyway.

"So why do you think Pema needs protective anything?"

"Do we have to talk in front of him?"

"He's not the one attacking Pema is he?"

"Well, no." It was possible, but highly unlikely.

"Then pretend he's not there."

"Fine." He glared at Kuzon again. Lin saw it but didn't comment. "There was a second attempt to kidnap Korra. Again, no one knows why and the suspects won't talk. Since they are targeting her before she can even bend, I must assume that they want to raise her to believe in whatever they are trying to accomplish and I am concerned that they would also want my child."

"Assuming it's an airbender and assuming that they would need an airbender other than Korra."

"Well yes, but no one else has anything right now."

"And how am I supposed to investigate what happened in the tribe. I have no jurisdiction over it."

"You don't, but can't you at least find out if the kidnapping suspects have ties to Republic City."

"I can do that, but why didn't you just go to the precinct?"

"I did, and they said they couldn't start a goose chase unless you told them to."

"Well I did tell them that. I'll call it in and have them nose around. As for the protective detail, I'll reserve judgment on that until I see if there's anything going on in Republic City that could be related to Korra. She will obviously be protected at public events, but having her followed by guards all day sounds too big for our budget, especially with no threats having been made against her or you.

Are we done here?"

"Yeah we're done."

Tenzin didn't know why it mad him so angry seeing her with that guy. He wasn't surprised Lin was mad when he replaced her with a younger woman. He never thought she'd move on to a younger man."

"I'm sorry about him. Tenzin kind of expects the world to just be ready for him when he feels like showing up."

"Nothing to apologize for. Your ex wouldn't be jealous if there was nothing for him to be jealous of."

* * *

><p>When Lin did get to work on Monday, she had pep to her step. She hadn't felt this happy in quite some time. Kuzon had ended up staying over all weekend, only leaving on Sunday evening since he had work on Monday as well.<p>

The officers were all wondering why they didn't see her all weekend.

"Don't take this the wrong way Chief, but why are you so happy?"

"Can't a gal just have a good weekend?"

"You got nookie didn't you? Oh yeah, a lot of it!"

She didn't deny it. "Don't make me send you to sensitivity training!"

"I'll send myself if you tell me about him."

"Not gonna happen."

"Aw!"

Her officers didn't find anything to suggest that these kidnappers were based in Republic City. In fact, they seemed to have come from all over the place, the Northern Water Tribe, Ba Sing Se, Omashu and other places.

"Audit their financial records and check into their work histories. Maybe there is some kind of pattern."

Lin wasn't going to spend too much time on this, but since it involved Korra, it seemed worth looking into, even if it was just Airhead trying to think too hard.

If Lin thought she could hide her new love interest, she was mistaken. On Tuesday, she received a big piece of chocolate cake and a card that asked her out to dinner on Friday.

"OOH! Chief's gotta boyfriend!"

She wanted to kill her squad sometimes, but it was a good time for cake. It was always a good time for cake.

"Hush up!"

At the end of the day, she was going to leave work at a normal hour when Tenzin came by.

"I haven't found anything involving Republic City and those kidnappers."

"I'm not too surprised by that."

"We're going to keep looking for Korra's benefit, but it we don't find anything soon, we'll have to leave this to the authorities that actually have the case."

"I see. How have you been Lin?"

"What?" Why is he making personal inquiries?

"We haven't seen each other in a while."

"I wonder why," she said dryly.

"I know we have our past but …"

"No, you have a past. I get stuck with the present. Do you have any idea how much it sucks being your ex-girlfriend? Anytime anything happens to you, the reporters drive across town to me and see how I will react. Councilman Tenzin announced his pregnancy. How do you feel? Should it have been your child and not Pema's? You could sneeze, and people will ask me if I could have kept you healthier better than she does."

Tenzin knew the media liked to talk, but he didn't realize how much it bothered her.

"Lin, I'm sorry, I didn't realize …"

"No you didn't. You've always been an airhead. Now if you don't mind, I'm going home."

He just got to walk away. She was the one who got daily reminders of him. Maybe it wasn't his fault that the media sucked, but he didn't have to keep feeding them every time something happened to him. Lots of people have babies. Very rarely, do they feel the need to make a public announcement about it and do an exclusive interview. Could he be anymore of an asshole?

"And I was having a good day too," Lin mumbled as she got into her car, and then I got stuck with an airhead.

She drove off. Tenzin was still at her desk. He felt frozen in time. He was hoping that someday they could be friends again. He wondered if that was impossible now.


	3. Chapter 3

It didn't take long for the media to realize Lin was involved with someone. She kept smiling, which for her was a rarity, and since they took her picture often, they would know.

Rumors started flying. "Was Tenzin leaving Pema for Lin? Did he just find out his baby is a nonbender?" All kinds of gossip was circulating from she was going to have Pema abducted to she had given Tenzin some kind of poison and only she had the antidote and she would only give it to him if he left his wife.

Lin found it comical how they still thought her life was intertwined with Twinkle Toes Jr.

Pema, however, did not appreciate these rumors at all. "What's going on between you and Lin?"

"What?" Tenzin questioned. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She showed him the paper.

"This. They make up stuff all day."

"They said you've been going to the precinct a lot. They have your picture."

"What? I as seeing about getting a protective detail for you and trying to see if they had anything on Korra. I only dealt with Lin because she's the Chief."

The rumors kept going on. Pema insisted that Tenzin do something about it and he went to Lin's office.

* * *

><p>Lin was admiring a fine bottle of whiskey that Kuzon had sent her. He had to go visit his mother, and the whiskey was collateral that he would come back. He said he wanted to share it with her, so he would have to get back to her before she could drink it all.<p>

"What is this?" Tenzin threw a newspaper on her desk.

Unsure of what he was talking about, she read, "Sato comes out with a new car."

"NO!" he yelled. He pointed to something else.

"I see. Councilman Tenzin found out Pema's baby isn't his and is going back to Lin. Like I'd take your bony butt back!"

The other officers in the room guffawed.

"These rumors have to stop!"

"They've been going on for years. You just didn't care before because they were all about me. What can to I do to stop it? I can't shut down the press."

"Can't you put out a statement or something?"

"What do you want me to do, go in front of the cameras and say, I don't want Tenzin, and I never will."

"YES!"

"Fine, when my boyfriend comes back, we'll give these idiots something to gossip about."

Lin smiled. Tenzin was going to hate this.

* * *

><p>It was another week before Kuzon came back. She asked him to pick her up from work.<p>

"Is there something wrong with your car?" he asked.

"Oh no. I just wanted you to walk out with me."

They left her office and when they got outside, Lin saw a group of reporters. She grabbed Kuzon's collar and kissed him in front of everyone. The media was going to love this.

Tenzin promised Pema that the rumors about him and Lin, called Linzin Drama in the papers, would stop. Little did he realize, the new drama would be, "Chief Lin Bei Fong has Replaced Tenzin with Sexy Stud!"

"Who is this mystery man?"

"How is his hair so fabulous?"

"Look at his smile."

"Tenzin must be reeling now!"

They all made him look like a jealous little fuck. He was quite annoyed.

"This isn't funny," Tenzin yelled as he banged on Lin's door at about 9AM on Saturday.

She thought it was hilarious. She went and opened it, only wearing her bathrobe, "Twinkle Toes Jr. nice of you to stop by."

"What the heck did you tell them?"

"I didn't say much of anything. They asked me who he was. I told them that his name is Kuzon and he's my new boyfriend. I figured he'd take the heat off Pema, and he did. No one's mentioned her at all."

"They all make me look like a jealous asshole."

"Welcome to my world. Bye Twinkle Toes." She shut the door in his face and went back to bed.

* * *

><p>"Does he always drop in unannounced?" Kuzon asked as he got Lin's robe back off.<p>

"Actually, he hadn't been over here in years, well, until the first time he saw you."

"And now he keeps making excuses to come back."

"Are you jealous?"

"No, but he is."

* * *

><p>Tenzin recognized the car outside Lin's house. He knew she had Kuzon over. What kind of name is Kuzon anyway? What does he do? Where is he from? How did she even meet him?<p>

He had hoped the guy was a one-night stand, but he kept coming back for more. He could hardly blame him. Lin had always been a dynamo in the bed. Pema was well more innocent and ordinary. He didn't regret choosing her in the end. She was going to be the better mother for his children. She actually agreed to have his children.

Something about seeing her with that guy made him so irritated. He had this smugness about him, like Lin was all hers and he could do as he willed with her. Was he using her somehow? Was he some kind of criminal hiding in the Chief's blindside?

Tenzin knew he had to keep an eye on this guy. He was suave, too suave. No one got into Lin's heart or bed so quickly. He should know. He's known her most of his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Six weeks after Kuzon and Lin first met, she found herself puking. "Damn food cart!" she hissed. She loved those fried noodles, but every now and then, they went the wrong way.

She decided it would just be rice and Gatorade for the rest of the day. She felt better, until the next day when she was puking again. "How can I be this sick from rice?"

She puked three times before she could finish getting ready for work. She called in sick, knowing she couldn't get through the day if she couldn't get out the door.

By the time the third day rolled around, she was still puking. "I should go to the hospital."

Lin drove herself there, once she got a window where she stopped hurling and parked in the parking lot. She walked in and explained that she had been vomiting for days. "I thought it had been food poisoning, but maybe I was wrong."

There had been a nasty, lethal virus going around. They put her the segregated unit just in case while they got a doctor to see her.

"Do you have any other symptoms?"

"I've been tired, but I think it's from lack of energy. I can't keep anything down."

"And this started …"

"This is the third day."

"And are you sexually active?"

"No-yes. Sorry, I wasn't for a while and now I am."

"And are you using birth control."

"Yes. We have condoms."

"And have you always used them."

"I had been on the pill, but I stopped taking it when I was single and then …." Shit! She didn't remember if she had used a condom that first night. She didn't have any and who knows if he brought any to the bar. "Um …"

They took a blood test. And although she was relieved not to be deathly ill, she wasn't much happier about being pregnant. She liked Kuzon; how could she not? Unfortunately, she had only known him for six weeks, hardly enough time to commit to raising a child with him. Who knows if he wants children?

"I need to lie down," she told the doctor.

They took her to a resting area.

"Do you want us to call anyone on your behalf?"

"No. I'm a big girl. I need to tell people myself."

* * *

><p>She drove home. She wasn't expecting Bumi to be there.<p>

"Hey Linny!" Why does he call her Linny? She never told him he could. In fact, she told him he cant' too many times to count.

"Hey Bumi," she sounded tired.

"You don't look so hot. Have you been sick?"

"I'm not sick," she told him. Unfortunately, she ran to the bathroom and hurled like 10 minutes after she got home.

"If you're not sick, then why are you puking?"

"Why do you think?"

"Um, you could be pregnant, but …"

She didn't answer.

"You're … what?"

Bumi had just gotten home from the United Forces. He didn't know about Kuzon or the newspaper drama or anything else.

Lin explained how she met him in a bar. He was nice and really attractive. She took him home, but she didn't think about the fact that she had stopped taking the pill after she and Tenzin broke up and well, "I don't think we used protection. If he had, it didn't work."

"What are you going to do?"

She shrugged. "I just found out, and I hadn't even told him yet."

"Do you think he'll be happy?"

"I have no clue. He never talked about kids. We haven't been together long enough to talk about kids."

"Well I guess you gonna have to talk. Maybe this will all workout."

"Chief Lin Bei Fong, knocked up by cutie she met in a bar. I can see the headlines now."

"I think it sounds better than Chief Lin Bei Fong, hung up on some baldheaded dweeb."

Lin flipped him off.

"You know I'm right. You're smiling and junk."

"You were always so poetic."

"I try. When do I get to meet this Mr. Bei Fong?"

"Who says you get to meet him?"

"As your surrogate older brother, I gotta vet this guy."

"You waited until after he knocked me up?"

"Well, I was away, and it's not like you wrote to me about him."

"I wasn't sure if he'd still be here when you got back. What are you doing back so early?"

"Budget cuts. They cut our tour short."

"That's kind of sad."

"Tell me about it. My wages got cut."

"Aw!"

"You mock me."

"I do, but I guess I don't have to care about my wages."

"Of course not, Miss Mighty Bei Fong."

"Well there is that, and Kuzon has money too."

"What does he do?"

"Advertising. He got the campaign for Sato's new car."

"Oh that thing is pricy."

"Yeah I know. He got one for free since he did their ad campaign."

"Dang! I wish I went into advertising."

"How, you can't draw for crap?"

"Thanks Linny."

"Just keeping it real."

"Well, I'm going to go harass my brother because I can."

"Please don't …"

"I won't tell anyone, especially not Baldy McStupid."

"Thanks Bumi."

"See ya!"

* * *

><p>When Lin said she wasn't in the mood for all you can eat steak, Kuzon knew something was wrong. He came by her house with ingredients to make chicken soup. "Have you been sick?"<p>

"Sort of," she said as he came inside. "I've been vomiting the last few days."

"So no steak."

"Yeah, no steak."

"Was it those noodles?"

"I thought so, since I had just eaten them, but I went to the hospital,l and they told me I was pregnant."

Kuzon's eyes got huge.

"I know we never talked about kids, so if you don't want to …"

He pulled her into his arms. "You just made me so happy."

"What?"

"I don't have much of a family. Sure, I love my moms, but they're getting old and without my sister or my niece, it's just me. You don't have much of a family either at the moment, not withstanding your friends. Maybe this is our time."

"I don't know anything about mothering."

"I got two mothers. I can help with that."

"Neither of us had fathers."

"You had uncles of sorts. It can't be that different."

"We both work absurd hours."

"I'm due for a sabbatical year."

"What?"

"I can take a paid year off work. I can start it when the babies are born and when you go back to work, I'll stay here."

"You'd do that?"

"I was going to travel instead, but maybe we could take some road trips with the baby. I do have that snazzy new car."

"Show off."

He kissed her forehead. "I'm not going to propose right now, mainly because you seem like the kind of woman who would be offended if she got proposed to just because she were pregnant, but I do want us to work."

"You do?"

"I don't have much luck with women, Lin. Sure I am handsome and have money, but that's all women ever see when they look at me. It's nice being with someone who has no reason to care about my paycheck, and my mother keeps bothering me about grandchildren. What does she always say; will you make them before I'm dead?"

Lin looked at him. "My mother has never said anything of the sort."

"Well, I'm sure my mother says it enough for both of them."


	5. Chapter 5

Everybody Knows

Lin had to find a doctor to handle her pregnancy. She knew she did not want a midwife to deliver the baby at home. She wanted painkillers in the hospital, and since it could be hard to get a doctor in private practice, she and Kuzon went looking right away.

They settled on a woman who had been declared best OB/GYN in Republic City, two years running.

The woman had a waiting list, but when the secretary saw that Lin was a Bei Fong, she managed to pencil her in. It also didn't hurt that Kuzon smiled at her warmly.

Lin was mad. "Did you have to flirt with the secretary like that?"

"I was just making sure you got an appointment as soon as possible. When you flirt, they manage to squeeze you in."

"Who taught you that?"

"My mom."

When he said his mom, he meant his adopted mother. His birth mother he referred to as mother. Lin didn't get the distinction at first, but as she started to learn more about each woman, it started to become clear. "She is a flirt?"

"Oh a big one. My mother makes fun of her for it all the time."

"It sounds like they had an interesting relationship."

"Oh they do. Maybe one day I'll tell you about it."

He was so fucking glib sometimes. Damn, she could kiss that smirk right of his face, but underneath the cocky exterior was a very sweet man. He said he'd arrange his schedule so he could make it to all of her appointments. She told him it wasn't necessary, but he wanted to be there for every step.

Until the first trimester was over, the only people Lin had told was Bumi, Kuzon, her doctors and HR, as they would have to sort out her medical leave. When it was closer to her due date, she would announce an interim chief.

She and Kuzon had quite a debate about her working schedule, but she eventually agreed to reduce her workload in phases: starting with reducing her hours on the street until she was only doing in office work and training other officers, and eventually she would stop doing night work and would take off work completely for the last two weeks of her pregnancy.

Lin hated the idea of not working, and she was a very strong, very capable woman, but Kuzon had some good points too. She's a very recognizable figure. She's pissed off a lot of bad dudes, and one of them may try to hurt her child if they can access her. The stress from working so many hours would not be good for her or her child and the smoother the pregnancy is, the better the odds she will be able to return to work when she wants.

Once the first trimester ended, she had to figure out how they were going to tell people. Unlike Tenzin, she did not want the whole world knowing her business. Kuzon was going to drive to his mom's house and tell her in person. Lin wasn't sure where her mother even was.

"How would I find her?"

"Maybe her friends know where she is. Even if they don't, they'll tell her once she contacts them and then she'll know to come here."

Her mother's best (living) friends were Katara and Zuko. She felt more comfortable telling Katara than Zuko despite her failed relationship with Tenzin. Zuko had always been caring, but he was a bit distant when it came to familial stuff. His wife had done most of the child rearing for their daughter, the Crown Princess.

"I'll write to Katara and she'll want to come see how the baby's doing anyway."

"What about your other friends?"

"She lives with Kya and Bumi knows. He found me puking, so it was pretty obvious."

* * *

><p>Lin sent a letter to Katara the next day. She knew it would take a few days to get to her, at a minimum, so she wasn't expecting a response for couple of weeks.<p>

When Kuzon drove to his mom's house and told her the news, she was so happy that she tackle-hugged him, kissing both his cheeks while he was on the floor. "I'm gonna be a grandmother!"

"Yes. You have to meet Lin. She's absolutely fantastic."

She frowned. "You mean Lin Bei Fong."

"Yes, you know her?"

"I saw her a few times when she was a child, but does she know who you are?"

"Not yet, but I have to tell her anyway. What if our kid's a firebender?"

"That's a good point. If your child has your flame, then everyone will figure it out."

"Do you think my mother will get in trouble?"

"Leave your mother to me. I've been keeping her out of trouble since before you were born."

"Sounds like you struggled with it."

"Don't make me smack you," she teased before she ruffled his head. "I am proud of you. I wanted you to start a family and stop spending all your time making money."

"I was good at making money. I wasn't so good at dating. Luckily, neither was Lin."

"Well, your mother loves the car you got her, and she drives like a maniac."

"HAHA!"

"She's already gotten three tickets."

"She's only had it a month."

"Well, that's your mother for you."

"Will you tell her or should I?"

"I'll tell her. She'll want to bust your balls about it, but I know she wants to be able to meet at least one of her grandkids."

"I do want you to meet Lin, after I tell her of course."

"I'd like that."

* * *

><p>Katara was surprised to learn that Lin, of all people, was having a surprise baby. "I know this is unexpected. I never thought I would have gotten knocked up by a man I took home from a bar, but he wants to be there for me and our child, and he's been nothing but supportive. He even agreed to take a year sabbatical so I could go back to work. I better hold on to him. I don't think I'll ever get a better offer."<p>

Kya came in. "What's in your hand?"

"I got a letter from Lin."

"REALLY?" Kya snatched it and over Katara's objections read it. "SHE'S KNOCKED UP!"

"She wants help finding her mother."

"Oh yeah. Aunt Toph's gonna be a grandma. This is going to be hilarious!"

"I'm sure this isn't going to be easy for Lin. She didn't exactly want children."

"Maybe she just didn't want Tenzin's children," Kya said nonchalantly. "I'm going to visit her while you track down Grandma Bei Fong."

Katara shook her head. Her daughter was always inviting herself places.

* * *

><p>Before Kya got to the Republic City, Tenzin learned about the baby. Pema had fallen down some stairs and he insisted on taking her to the doctor to check on their baby girl.<p>

They were on their way into the doctor's office just as Kuzon and Lin were leaving.

"What are you doing here?" Tenzin questioned.

"I'm pregnant," Kuzon retorted.

Lin laughed until she realized no one else was. "This is awkward."

"You're pregnant!" Tenzin yelled.

"Well, yeah I am."

"How could you have a child with him? You barely know him!"

"At least I procreated with an adult and not a child I used to babysit."

"You used to babysit her?"

"We did, together."

"OOH Cradle robber!" Kuzon sang at him.

"She's my wife!"

"Doesn't make her any older," Lin retorted. "And this is none of your business!"

"NONE OF MY BUSINESS! You told me you never wanted kids, and you make one with him as soon as you met him. What did he do, ply you with liquor until you opened your legs?"

Lin smacked him in front of everyone. "You have no right to talk about him like that. News flash Tenzin, I wanted someone who wanted me whether or not we had children. I wanted to be an equal partner, not some baby factory. Pema, good luck with this idiot. You'll need it."

Lin took Kuzon, and they left quickly. "What an asshole!"

"I feel bad for his wife. I would hate to be pregnant and watching my husband clearly hung up on his ex."

"I think you would hate being pregnant."

He rolled his eyes. "My mother wants to meet you."

"She wrote to you already."

"Apparently, she came to visit my mom like a few hours after I had left. She's all excited for a grandbaby."

"Does she want a firebender?"

"I'm sure she'd be happy with any grandbaby, but I think she'd have a special gleam if it were a firebender. I think an earthbender would be cool though; it would be the first one in our family."

"Are you all firebenders?"

"My sister's a waterbender"

"But she's not your mother's child."

"She is," he told her. "I'm a twin. She had my sister adopted by a friend of hers who was from the water tribes, so she'd blend in. She doesn't look Fire Nation at all. I doubt she even knows."

"You're father's water tribe?"

"Yeah. I know. I don't look it at all."

"I have no idea what my father even was, so I can't comment on that. I look just like my grandmother."

"Then she must have been a pretty lady."


	6. Chapter 6

"How could she get knocked up like that?" Tenzin hissed as he drove, forgetting Pema was even in the car. She had always been careful, super careful with him. If she had accidentally gotten pregnant, they'd likely still be together.

"I'm sure it was an accident. It's not like she wanted children," Pema wanted to change the subject.

"And who does that guy think he is, showing up with a pretty face and a fancy car and he just gets a family?" He got the one thing Tenzin thought was impossible. He got Lin Bei Fong to become a mother.

"Why are you so upset about this?"

"Why am I so upset? We were together over 15 years."

"And you left her for me. What, would you have stayed if she got knocked up earlier?"

He probably would have. "We wouldn't have worked," he told his wife.

"Then let it go. Maybe this will be good for her." She needs to do something other than work all day anyway.

"How could this be?" He saw his wife's angry face and finally shut up.

The other patients had seen the fight between Lin, and Tenzin and it wasn't long until the rumors started clamoring about something going on between Lin and Tenzin. Was she pregnant? Could he be the father? What would Kuzon do if it were an airbender?

* * *

><p>Lin was overwhelmed by the media's aggression. They were outside her door, outside the precinct; they had even started popping up outside Kuzon's office building.<p>

She just wanted to work and live in peace.

Finally, Kuzon said, "maybe we should make a statement," just to see if they can get these people to move on to a new story.

Lin reluctantly agreed. She offered to do one interview, "and don't send me an annoying journalist or I won't ever do another one!"

They sent an excited young scoop to get the story. They did the interview in Lin's house, as she did not want him in her office where her employees might say all kinds of nonsense.

The young man, he actually looked like a young teen, had a recorder in hand as he started the interview.

"I'm here with esteemed Chief Lin Bei Fong, daughter of war hero and former Chief Toph Bei Fong and presumed heir to the Bei Fong estate.

She has graciously agreed to be interviewed with regards to her expected child, the youngest Bei Fong, known in the media as Baby B."

Lin rolled her eyes at the nickname. "So where do I start?"

"I will ask a couple of questions, but I try to get my interviewees to tell their story in their own words. Hopefully, that will be easier once we get the preliminary stuff out of the way.

I want to start with your own mother. Would you say that you two were close?"

"Not really. She was well intentioned, but she didn't really know how to parent. Her parents had been overbearing, so she let her daughters do whatever we felt like doing. Often times, my sister and I fought and she would come break it up and then we'd go right back to fighting."

"Did you follow in her footsteps to get closer to her?"

"I wanted her to be proud of me, but she didn't care what I did as long as I wanted to do it. I don't think she wanted me to be a police officer. She didn't think I chose the job for the right reasons."

"And did you?"

"I don't know, but I'm glad it's what I do now."

"Have you thought about how you're going to balance a career and a family?"

"I don't have the whole future planned out, but Kuzon plans on taking a sabbatical when my maternity leave runs out, so he will be at home for the first year and then he'll go back to work and we'll have to figure out something."

"Did you want to be a mother?"

"I wasn't sure if I had it in me. I didn't know my father at all, and I had supportive adults in my life, but it's not the same as having parents. I wasn't really sure what to do."

"And is this why you and Tenzin didn't work out?"

"It was a part of it. When you're with someone, you have to meet him half way. Tenzin and I couldn't do that. We fought over children and work and it got to the point where we fought over everything just to fight.

We couldn't make it to the grocery together without fighting. It would have been no environment for a child, and I refuse to have any kids if we couldn't work out our other issues. He thought I was refusing forever, so he left for the first offer he got."

"And do you think they have a strong marriage?"

"I have no clue. It's not my business either way."

"Tell me about Kuzon."

"Well, I was driving home. I had been working longer hours to try and hide from the media. They had been annoying me ever since Tenzin announced Pema's pregnancy and I saw this cool looking bar I had never been inside of before, so I pulled over and went inside.

He was there. He suggested I try a drink called the Fallen Lady. I did. It was really good and well, we started chatting. It was weird how much we had in common. We never met our fathers. Our mothers were distant, each affected by her upbringing. He was actually adopted, so he has two mothers as it were. Given his adoption, he never knew his sister. My sister and I can't stand each other and haven't spoken in a decade.

We just made sense together. If you really want to know the quick and dirty of it, I liked him, I brought him home, and I had stopped taking my birth control since I had been single for some time, and I didn't think about the consequences of that until I started puking six weeks later.

I told him. I half expected him to run. Who would sign up to raise a baby with someone he's only known for a few weeks? Anyway, he said he wasn't going anywhere. I'm used to people leaving. It was odd to accept that he was in it for the long haul."

"Have you discussed marriage?"

"Only briefly. I'm not one to rush to the altar because I'm having a child. It has to be right for us and I'm hardly one to care too much about having a child out of wedlock. Neither of our parents ever got married. I don't even know who my father was."

"Do you wish you had known him?"

"If he were worth knowing. My mother never said anything about him, so I don't know if he didn't know about me, or he didn't care or if he knew about me but didn't know I was his. For all I know, she went to the seed bank and felt like having a kid on a whim. I just don't know."

"This all got out after you got into a fight with Tenzin. Can you tell us about that?"

"Well, I was on my way out of the doctor's office. Kuzon had taken me to my appointment, and Tenzin happened to be bringing Pema in, and that's when he found out I was pregnant. I kept it quiet during the first trimester since it's bad luck and all. Only a handful of people knew, including both of our jobs HR departments. I wasn't planning on telling him myself. I told his mother, since I was hoping she could find my mother, and I figured either she or his sister would tell him.

When he saw me, he wondered why I was there. In my mind, I wanted to say it was just a normal appointment, not everyone there is pregnant, but the words didn't come out.

Kuzon said that he was pregnant, and then it was obvious. Tenzin started yelling. I got mad and started yelling. He had the nerve to criticize my decision to have a child with someone not him. After all that he put me through, he had no right to accost me about my family. He said something rude. I slapped him, and I left.

The media found out since well, every patient there saw some serious drama. They've been telling crazy stories, suggesting that it's Tenzin's baby or what not, but it's Kuzon's. I haven't been anywhere near Tenzin, and we didn't even start speaking again until recently."

"Do you know what you're having?"

"I have no idea what it is, since it could be an earthbender, firebender, or neither since I don't know who my father was, but I want to be a mother no matter what. It would be convenient if it took after one of us, but you never know."

"And how has his family taken the news?"

"Both his mothers are happy. I haven't had the chance to meet them yet. They aren't from around here, but I'm sure I'll meet them before the birth."

Before he could ask any more questions, there was a knock on the door.

* * *

><p>"Who could that be? Excuse me," she said as she got up. She opened the door and got waylaid with a hug.<p>

"OH MY SPIRITS YOU'RE GOING TO ME A MOM!"

"And this would be Kya."

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Sure. Who is he?"

"He's my interviewer. We were discussing well me and the baby and …"

"I'm so excited! Can I be the godmother? Please!"

"Well I should at least talk to Kuzon before …"

"I need to meet this guy. I've only seen the photos. He looks super dreamy!"

"He is super taken."

"You always were a possessive one."

"Oh hush!"

"I'm her best friend, and I can tell you all about her."

Lin shook her head. She went on about how she and Lin would goof off as kids, and despite her serious exterior, she has a childlike heart. "Not Tenzin, though. He's too serious and not in a good way."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is he has the responsibilities that he finds most important, and he doesn't recognize that other people have responsibilities that are equally important to them. If he would calm down for just five minutes, he might realize he's not the center of the universe.

I love my brother. The spirits know I do, but I've wanted to slap him upside the head for a list of reasons."

She listed them, in detail. Lin was concerned that this would all end up in the papers. The scoop of course, loved it.

"Well, I thank you ladies for your time, and as we agreed, you'll get a chance to see the piece and comment before it's published."

"Come again!" Kya said.

"What's wrong with you?" Lin questioned.

"He was adorkable."

"Tenzin's gonna flip when they publish your rant."

"Meh. He's always flipping out."


	7. Chapter 7

The reporter started by typing his notes. He would write down his impressions, descriptions of where the interview took place, and the mood before getting to the content of the interview

He would try to use his interviewee's own words for the introduction. It got the reader more excited and who could describe Lin Bei Fong better than herself.

From Police Chief to Expectant Mother: A Conversation with Lin Bei Fong

"I wasn't sure if I had it (motherhood) in me. I didn't know my father at all, and I had supportive adults in my life, but it's not the same as having parents. I wasn't really sure what to do."

Once he decided on how to introduce the subject, he would go to the description of the house.

_It's a lovely estate with a garden in front. Right away, it seems like a charming place to raise a family. Inside were stone floors, a bit unusual if you don't know that Lin's mother sees with her feet, pristine everything, and surprisingly comfortable furniture._

After that, he went to his description of Lin.

_Most people see Chief Bei Fong in her armor and uniform or perhaps in an evening dress if she's at a formal event. This day, however, she wore a t-shirt and sweatpants, no shell or frills, just Lin._

_Lin was candid, not excited to answer every question, but she had honesty in her voice. She didn't just say what happened, but her tone would reveal how she felt about it. There was sadness when she talked about her mother, and how she had longed for closeness that she never with her and a similar sadness, mixed in with some anger, about her estranged sister Suyin._

_There was excitement when she talked about her expected child and the father to be, Kuzon. There was annoyance when she was speaking with her best friend Kya, who crashed the interview, but you could tell the two women were very fond of each other._

_Enough of what I saw when I was there. Let me get to what she had to say._

Then he got to her story. It was fun to tell but difficult at the same time. Lin was a strong and courageous woman, everyone knew that, but she also had wounds beyond the physical, ones she hid from the rest of her world. From her troubled relationships with her mother and sister to the turbulent one with her ex-lover Councilman Tenzin, she had been knocked around in more places than just the streets.

_It's one thing for your ex to leave you. It's one thing for him to leave you for a girl you've known almost all her life. It's a whole other story to get constantly reminded about it by the media, to get alerted every time Tenzin says or does anything, just so your reaction can get photographed, to change your work schedule just so you can avoid people who want to ask you about him. The world gave him a new start with Pema. The world expected her to be his jilted ex forever._

Her story was just as much about gender roles and how the working woman is pitted against the stay at home mother than anything else. Can a woman truly have it all? If she has children, her career suffers. If she has a career, then any children she has miss out on her. Mothers are expected to be there in a way that fathers aren't.

_Lin Bei Fong knows this better than most people, having had both a working mother and an absent father. Even thought they both made her, it was her mother that she hoped would be there, and she didn't miss her father at all._

_She doesn't even know who her father is, but she didn't seem bothered by it. Her reluctance to have children with Tenzin was more than just her own stubbornness. It was the realization that she would have to give up a part of herself, a part that Tenzin could keep, or her children would have the same frustrations that she did growing up. There seemed to be no way to win._

* * *

><p>By the time he finished his first draft, he realized it was 3 times as long as it was supposed to be, but it all seemed too good to cut out. When he went to his boss, she loved the piece and thought he should expand it to a serial. He sent the first section to Lin to get her comments.<p>

Her changes were mostly grammatical, which made him laugh since it was a rough copy, but she approved the content, and thought it was the most unbiased story on her she had ever seen. He disagreed. It was biased. He thought Tenzin was a jackass, but he tried to show restraint when he wrote about him.

The story hit the papers on Friday. Part 1 was about her past, her mother, her sister and Tenzin. Part 2 would get into more of Kuzon and what her plans were for the baby. Part 3 would be about her friends and the other people in her life right now.

The newspaper was everywhere. Lin knew the story would be big, but she didn't realize how people would take it so personally. Women wrote in talking about how hard it was to try and work and be at home for the kids or how it sucked being home all day sometimes. They didn't see Lin Bei Fong as the jilted ex anymore. They saw her as a representative for the struggles that working mothers have everywhere.

Of course, everyone bothered Tenzin about the article. The media asked him, "Are you bitter that your ex-girlfriend is having another man's child after refusing to have yours?"

"Do you wish you had tried to be more agreeable to her concerns as a working woman?"

"Do you think a woman's job is to stay home with the children?"

If he wasn't dodging politically charged questions, he was getting it from the people he worked with.

Everyone wanted to hear his reaction. He wanted them to work, but they had to know about the doctor's office and how hard did she slap him across the face.

Even his brother got in on his case when he stopped by. "Man, you made a scene in front of your wife. I'm surprised she didn't slap you in the face too."

"Bumi, not you too!"

"Of course me too. You gotta get your head out of your rear end. You can't move on with Pema and chastise Lin about her new life. You gotta let it go bro."

When Tenzin saw his sister, he confronted her. "You said I don't respect other people's responsibilities."

"You never had before. I moved in with mother because she was so upset after Dad died and you couldn't even take a week off work to see her because you had the council."

"She needed to settle down anyway!"

"She needed her family, you asshole!"

They yelled so loudly they both got kicked out of the coffee shop.

"At least I got my coffee," Kya told him as she left, even if it was now cold.

Tenzin had to go somewhere else.


	8. Chapter 8

Each week, the newspaper would release a new segment about Lin. Once she talked about Kuzon, everyone wanted to hear more about this dreamy ex-military advertiser. He was so inquired about that the scoop did an interview with Kuzon as well.

He got to Kuzon's apartment, it was a top of the line flat, and sat down on his couch.

"I take it you're familiar with being interviewed."

"Yes."

"Then let's get to it! Could you start with some information on your family?"

"Well, I am adopted. My birth mother couldn't raise my twin sister and me, so she gave each of us to a friend she trusted, and we grew up separately. I'm not sure if my sister knows about me, since I don't know what her parents have told her, so I haven't contacted her. I know she has a daughter, and I hope that her children and mine can be friends some day, but that's at out my hands right now."

"Why were you separated?"

"Well, I'm pretty clearly Fire Nation, but my sister is a waterbender, and my mother thought it would be harder for us if people realized we were biracial amongst other concerns, so she gave me to a friend from the Fire Nation and gave my sister to a friend from the water tribes. I don't know if my sister even knows that she's half Fire Nation."

"I see, and do you know who your parents were?"

"I do, but I'd rather not give their names. It would probably be not very good of my sister to learn who she is this way."

"How about the woman who raised you?"

"She's always been very kind to me. She was single for most of my childhood, so it was just us. She knew who my father was, obviously, which put her in a bit of a bind.

She didn't want her friends to figure out who I was or else his wife would know too, so she raised me away from the city. She would visit them on occasion, but not long enough for them to figure out she had a son."

"So it was you two against the world."

"Yeah it was. My birth mother would drop in on occasion, but it was usually just the two of us."

"And what is your relationship like with your birth mother?"

"Under the circumstances, it's pretty good. She had PTSD after the war, and she still struggles with it, so she knew that having one child, much less two and raising them by herself would be too difficult. She wanted a better life for both my sister and me.

As a child, I didn't really understand why she would have random outbursts or panic attacks, but as I got older, and especially after I joined the military, I started to understand what my mother had gone through, and I understood why she had to give us away."

"You joined the United Forces and not the Fire Nation Army, why was that?"

"I grew up here. I had only been to the Fire Nation a few times. I wanted to be closer to my mom."

"So I heard Lin's account of how you met, can you give us your point of view?"

"Sure. I was still getting used to Republic City. I moved here for work since there was a lot more opportunity than the village where I grew up. I saw this bar and thought what a weird name (The Dragon's Spirit), so I wondered in. It became a Friday thing for me, and one day, Lin appeared and she had me at first glance.

I could just tell she would get weirded out if I tried to buy her a drink, so I suggested one to her instead. She sat down, ordered it, and we started talking. I knew who she was. It was easy to recognize her given all of the media attention she gets, but she was very surprising. She's actually pretty silly when's she drunk, and I wouldn't have guessed that.

We decided to split a cab home since neither of us could drive at that point. I lived further away, so the cab stopped at her place first. I thought I was going home, but then she paid the cabbie and pulled me out of the cab. I guess she's had me ever since."

"She just pulled you out the cab?"

"I'm not complaining. I was just pleasantly surprised."

"And when did you meet Councilman Tenzin?"

"The next morning. I was making breakfast. Lin was in the shower and he started pounding on the door. I didn't answer at first since it's not my door, and I had no idea who it was, but when he kept knocking, I answered it. He said he needed to talk to Lin, so I knocked on her bathroom door and told her she had a visitor. She did not seem enthused."

"Why do you say that?"

"Her reaction was 'What the hell are you doing here?'"

"But she talked to him anyway?"

"Yes. It had something to do with work. I don't want to get into it, since for all I know the case is still active."

"Did you see him after that?"

"Other than the doctor's office, I didn't see him anywhere, but he did stop by her house again to argue with her over some newspaper. I didn't get out of bed."

"You didn't feel the need to intervene?"

"Why? She can drop him on his ass by herself."

"And what do you think of Tenzin?"

"Personally, I think he's a fool. At first, it was all perfect for him. Pema threw herself at him. He got married and she got pregnant fairly quickly. He had what he wanted and the hell with Lin. Now, he sees her with a new boyfriend and a family that he feels like he should have had and he's jealous. It doesn't mean that he doesn't want Pema or that he wants Lin back, but he feels entitled, like if Lin had a family, then it should have been with him. It's none of his damn business."

"And about Pema?"

"If I were her, I'd slap him until he got 'move on' through his thick skull. I don't know how she deals with him."

"And how did your mom respond to the pregnancy?"

"Oh she can't wait. She's been on my case about grandchildren, so she's happy. She hasn't met Lin yet, so I want to drive her down so they can get to know each other."

"And does your birth mother know?"

"Yes. I actually just missed her when I told my mom, and she sent me a letter congratulating me."

"And are you uncomfortable that Lin is still close to Tenzin's family?"

"Not at all. Everyone needs some people in their life who really get them, who saw the stuff they went through in life and can offer advice or support. It's not surprising or unusual that it would be her ex's family, especially considering how close their mothers are. It's probably more awkward for Lin under the circumstances than it is me."

"And have you met Tenzin's family?"

"I met Kya. She's a riot. I got some thinly veiled threats from Bumi saying if I hurt her in anyway, he was gonna kick my ass, but I haven't met him in person."

"Are you scared?"

"It won't come to that."

"And what's your prediction, earthbender, firebender, or waterbender?"

"Hmm, I'm going to go with earthbender. My family is known for firekicking during pregnancy, and she hasn't felt any yet, which doesn't mean it's not a firebender, but I have a hunch that we have an earthbending Bei Fong on the way."

Of course, people went crazy over Kuzon's interview. Who are his parents? Who raised him? Who could his sister be? He threw shade at Tenzin. How will Tenzin respond?


	9. Chapter 9

**Momma's Dropping In**

Tenzin hated part four of the interview. Who did this guy think he is, writing that stuff about him?

Before he could find out who this man was, he got a visitor.

"Mom?"

"Hey Tenzin!"

She hugged him tightly.

"How are you Mom?"

"I'm good. I just got Toph to Lin's house."

"What?"

"Lin couldn't find her, so I tracked Toph down and got her here. I didn't go inside though, I thought they could use some alone time, since they haven't seen each other in years, so I figured, why not drop in on my baby boy!"

"I'm about to be a father."

"You'll always be my baby! How's Pema?"

"She's good. She had a fall last month but …"

"You didn't tell me!"

"I took her to the doctor right away. They said it was fine. Anyway, it was there that I ran into Lin and her baby daddy."

"Oh, well I hear he's a nice guy."

"Who said that?"

"Kya said he was great."

"Kya's crazy."

"Are you jealous?"

"NO!"

"You sound jealous."

"MOM!"

"Just relax. You both will have your own families. Maybe the spirits meant for it to be this way."

Tenzin pouted.

* * *

><p>While he got his mother doting on him, Lin got a different experience.<p>

"Where are you, fat butt?"

"MOM?" Lin couldn't believe it. She ran into her mother and hugged her. "It's been too long."

"Yeah, yeah. So you got twins."

"Huh?"

"I feel two fetal heartbeats."

"Oh, we were going to get our ultrasound next week. I didn't know."

"Well, you got two rug rats, and where's this jerk who knocked you up?"

"He's not a jerk. He actually went out to get me lunch."

"And he didn't bring me any?"

"Because we knew your ass would show up today."

"You should have. You sent Sugar Queen to find me."

"Where is Aunt Katara?"

"Bothering Twinkle Toes Jr."

* * *

><p>Just then, a man came through the door. "They didn't have the chicken dish you like, and I wasn't sure if you wanted beef or pork instead, so I got them both."<p>

"I like him already," Toph told him. "Now give me one."

"Kuzon, this is my mother, Toph Bei Fong."

"A pleasure," he said as he punched her arm.

"What was that for?"

"Lin said it's how your family shows affection."

"It is. What do you know about my family?"

"He knows plenty," Lin told her. "We're having twins," she told him.

"Oh, my mom's gonna be mad. She's out 50 coins."

"What?"

"She and my birth mother had a bet on multiple births, so she just lost 50 coins."

"Your family bets on each other too. He might not be so bad."

* * *

><p>They sat down with lunch. Lin ate the beef, so her mother got the pork.<p>

"So what do you do all day?"

"I manage advertisement campaigns. I'm currently working on the new Satomobile."

"So you convince people to waste their money on stuff they can't afford."

"Well, I don't convince them, but I make the cars attractive in the first place."

"He sounds like my father. You would find a guy like this." She turned to Kuzon. "What do you know about fighting?"

"I got in some pretty good scraps in the marines."

"A military man. One enlistment or two."

"Two. I retired out when I was 30 and then went into business. My mom had to retire, so I wanted to send some money her way."

"And you take care of your mother. Seriously, is he like a fucking boy wonder?"

"Forgive my mother. She's senile in her old age."

"I am not you fat butt!"

"I'm not even fat yet."

"But twins, you gonna be huge!"

The women debated just how huge Lin was going to get before Katara called on the radio inviting them all over for dinner.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lin questioned.

"Yes. You and Airhead need to figure out how to stop fighting before Katara goes all crazy mother on everybody. Plus, Bumi's going to be there, and he's been waiting to size up Mr. Pretty Boy over here."

"You can't even see him."

"But I heard the radio on the way here. They keep talking about how dreamy he is."

Lin shook her head.

That evening, she ended up at her ex-boyfriend's house.

Kuzon took her hand and kissed it.

"Stop giving me oogies!" Toph complained.

"What's an oogie?" Kuzon questioned.

Lin explained it to him.

"Ah."

"My uncle Sokka coined the term."

* * *

><p>They entered the house. Katara had done most of the cooking. Pema was in her seventh month and didn't like being on her feet too much.<p>

"Toph, Lin, Kuzon, glad you all could make it."

"Stop lying Pema," Toph retorted. "You're dreading this just as much as fat butt behind me."

"Toph can't you calm down for just one dinner," Katara chastised.

"Maybe when I'm dead Sugar Queen!"

Bumi came into the room, "Aunt Toph!" He hugged her despite her objections and flailing. She was too short to stop him.

"Linny, oh you have the tiniest baby bump right now."

"It's babies bump. She's got two suckers in there."

"Twins! Oh, do you think it will be one of each?"

"Maybe," Lin said. "It's too early to tell."

"There are other possibilities," Katara told them. "Depending on your lineage."

"Which means they could be waterbenders or nonbenders too," Kuzon added, "at least on my side."

"You're not all Fire Nation?" Katara would have thought that he was.

"No, my father was from the Southern Water Tribe. I never met him before he died, but my birth mother told me about him."

"I probably knew him," Katara realized.

"Yeah, but he wouldn't have told you. He was married, and well not to my mother."

"Oh you're a secret love child," Toph gushed. "So is Lin."

"Don't believe her. She's told me so many stories about my father, I can't trust any of them."

"Yeah, you'll never know."

"Are you an only child?" Katara asked him.

"I have a twin, but I don't think she knows about me. She was given to a different family, since she looks all water tribe."

"Wow, your family sounds as jacked up as mine," Toph told him.

"At least his mother was sort of competent," Lin retorted.

"Oh I'm gonna pop you," Toph retorted.

"Maybe if you weren't so old you're shrinking."

"I'll show you shrinking!"

The two women were ready to take it outside, but Kuzon had a different idea. "In my culture, pregnant women don't fight agni kais. Their child's father would be expected to step in."

Lin folded her arms. _Oh no he didn't._

"Are you challenging me big boy?"

"Oh I am."

"Lin, I gotta beat up your boy toy. This will be too much fun."

They went outside. With two stomps of her feet, Toph had boulders headed his way. He slid past the first one and jumped over the second before an impressive jet of fire came right at her.

She had experience on her side, but he had been trained by two of the best fighters on Earth, his mothers, and he knew how to keep coming.

"I must admit. Pretty boy can move!"

She swallowed the ground beneath him but he jumped up at the last second. She decided to break out her metalbending, and he returned with lightening.

Lin had no idea how good Kuzon actually was. He can throw lightening? She knew that was really rare, rarer than metalbending.

"Would you two stop destroying my yard?" Tenzin yelled at them.

They both blamed the other.

"I have to admit, pretty boy knows his stuff."

"And I must say that our kids will have three badass grandmothers."

"You didn't tell me you could throw lightening."

"I can't tell you all my moves at once. You'd get bored of me."

"Remind me not to fight him," Bumi said loudly.

"You punk ass bitch," Toph told him.

* * *

><p>Over dinner, Katara had all kinds of questions for Kuzon. "Who trained you?"<p>

"Both of my mothers trained me. My birth mother is a firebender, but my adoptive mother is a martial arts expert, so I learned them both. I learned how to swordfight in the military, so I'm a jack of all trades."

Show off, Bumi thought to himself.

"Lin," Toph told her daughter, "he's way out of your league."

"TOPH!" Katara bopped her head.

"What Sugar Queen? I'm just telling her she got knocked up by like the coolest guy ever. It seems impossible that you just found in him a bar."

Tenzin shook his head. Everyone loved this guy.

"So what are you going to do when the baby's born?" Katara asked them.

"Kuzon's taking a year off work and when he has to go back, we'll have to find a way to balance our schedules."

"You won't get fired?" Toph questioned.

"I'm due for my sabbatical year, and I was going to take it anyway, so it's not like they're missing me."

"And he's staying home with the rug rats? Damn, why couldn't I have found a guy like this. I would have bothered to tell him he was a father."

"Again, who knows if this is true?"

"Yeah, maybe I did tell him. You'll never know."

Since they grilled Kuzon most of the night, Pema felt like she was off the hook. Tenzin, however, was not so relieved.

"Didn't you find him suspicious?"

"Why?"

"The way he had a perfect answer for everything."

"Most of those questions he did answer in the newspaper article. He had already thought about the answers."

"I guess," Tenzin growled.

"Is it so bad to think that Lin just found a nice guy?"

"No." He can't just be a nice guy. There has to be a chink in that armor, and Tenzin was going to find it.


End file.
